Orioles Rangers
The Baltimore Orioles, the Past, the Present, and the Future
The year is 1983, and it is Game 6 of the World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies are down to their final out. The ball is hit, it’s a line drive, Caught by Cal Ripken Jr. The Orioles win the World Series, The Os win it all.
Now the year is 1996, and the Wild Card Orioles are playing the Yankees, to determine who makes it to the World Series. This Oriole team is stacked, with players like B.J. Surhoff, Randy Myers, and Roberto Alomar, and Cal Ripken Jr. The ball is pitched, and it is a deep fly ball to center field at Camden Yards. Brady Anderson goes back, back, and it looks like he’ll catch the ball. But then, Jeffrey Maier leaps out and grabs the ball, giving the Yankees a crucial Home Run. Where is the fan interference??? The Orioles go on to lose that series, and lose in the 1997 playoffs as well.
Recent History, How have the Orioles played???
Well pardon my language, but like SHIT. Right now, we just finished our 10th fricking losing season in a row, while making horrible free agent signings, like Rafael Palmeiro, Jay Gibbons, Sidney Ponson, Javy Lopez, Albert Belle, and many, many others. We also didn’t know how to keep good players, letting players like Rafeal Palmeiro, B.J. Ryan, Roberto Alomar, and Mike Mussina leave our team. Last year, was the end, and the beginning. Last year, we started out good, but we started down spiraling once Dave Trembley became our head coach. Not saying he is bad, but the team just gave up after that point. One of the worst moments in our history then happened, when the Orioles lost 30-3, and it was to the TEXAS RANGERS. UGHHHHHHHH. Well then how was it the beginning you ask??? Well in the middle of the season, we hired Andy McPhail to be our President of Baseball Operations, and finally Orioles fans knew that we were in good hands. McPhail has already orchestrated many Championship teams including the Twins teams of the 90’s.
Well so what has Andy McPhail done???
Well, I was waiting for you to ask that question… McPhail already has orchestrated some great moves that are helping to build the Orioles for the future. He’s has done this in three ways, the Draft, Trading, and releasing players. McPhail has done very well lately in the draft, taking one of the best hitting prospects, and the best catcher, Matt Wieters last year with the 5th pick, and this year with the 4th, he got the best pitching prospect in the draft with Brian Matsuz. He has done amazingly in trades as well. Right before the Mitchell Report was completed, McPhail traded Miguel Tejada, for many young prospects including Luke Scott, our current starting LF, and many players I will detail later. Next he traded away our best pitcher, to get some great talent, including our current closer, George Sherril, and our current CF, Adam Jones. He has also released players like Jay Gibbons, who has been a cancer to the Orioles team. McPhail is also talking with many teams about trading Brian Roberts, which might net the Orioles at least one, maybe two top prospects.
The Orioles Current Roster
1B Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff- Both are solid players, with Huff having a little more power, and Millar being a little better of a average hitter. Millar is much better defensively, which is why he plays 1B much more often than Huff does. Millar is also an amazing clubhouse leader for the Orioles.
2B Brian Roberts- A great second baseman, and fan favorite, he is one of the best players on the team. He has great value as a leadoff hitter, a base runner, and a great defensive fielder. He has 2 years left on his contract, and will probably be traded by the end of the year.
SS Luis Hernandez, Freddy Bynum, Alex Cintron- This is our worst position on the diamond, with no clear starter in sight. If the Orioles are going to win in the future, they will need to improve this position greatly.
3B Melvin Mora- He is a solid player, good offensively and defensively, while not being a star. He is a solid player to have on any team. While he may not be the Orioles third baseman of the future, he will help train the next Os third baseman.
C Ramon Hernandez- A great defensive catcher who sometimes lacks in power, Ramon is great at calling games for our young pitchers, while some fans hope for an improvement here, Ramon is still a solid catcher.
OF Luke Scott, Nick Markakis, Jay Payton, Adam Jones- Our outfield is already locked up for the future, with Nick Markakis already having star numbers. Adam Jones is one of the top prospects in the league at centerfield, and Luke Scott has been a pleasant surprise. This is the one part of the Orioles roster that I don’t worry about at all for the future. Scott, Markakis, Jones, will be the BEST outfield in the league, in three years, take my word for it.
SP Our rotation goes (at the moment), Jeremy Guthrie, Daniel Cabrera, Garret Olsen, Brian Burres, and Rahadmes Liz. This is actually a very underrated rotation. While Guthrie may not be a number 1 pitcher, he has solid stuff, and can pitch some very good games. This year, Daniel Cabrera is finally living up to his potential, and with the stuff he ahs, and if he gains some control, he could be one of the best pitchers in the league. Garret Olsen and Rahadmes Liz both are young pitchers, who have great potential, and might turn out to be solid 2 or 3 starters in our future rotation. Brian Burres is also a solid starter, and he could turn out to be a good 4 or 5 pitcher.
Bullpen Jamie Walker, Chris Bradford, Jim Johnson, Dennis Sarfate, and Matt Albers are our relief pitchers. George Sherril is our closer. While Walker and Bradford are both solid pitchers, neither of them are great. What makes them stand out though, is that Walker is a good Lefty pitcher, and that Bradford pitches submarine style. Jim Johnson has really good stuff, and looks to be a fixture in the bullpen for years to come. Dennis Sarfate is like the Cabrera of our bullpen, being able to pitch 98 mph, but still needing to work on his control. Matt Albers is a good pitcher, and will be fighting for a spot in the Orioles rotation, for years to come. George Sherril is a good, not great closer, who needs to work on keeping men off base. When he keeps men off base, he is almost impossible to hit.
Key Orioles Players on the DL Adam Loewen, Chris Ray, Troy Patton- All of these young arms have great potential. Adam Loewen is guaranteed a starting job when he comes back, and he has the most potential out of all these pitchers. I could see Loewen being a number 1 if he stays healthy. Chris Ray was a surprise last year, pitching quite well from the closer spot after taking B.J. Ryan’s place. Sadly he had to get Tommy John Surgery. Troy Patton was the centerpiece of the Miguel Tejada trade, (not Luke Scott), and I can’t wait to see how he plays once he becomes healthy again.
Key Players for the future not mentioned above include Matt Wieters, a switch-hitter, who will be our catcher for years to come, Brian Matsuz, the 4th pick in the draft this year, Xavier Avery, a center fielder we drafted in the second round, Kam Mickolio, Chris Tillman, and Tony Butler, players we got from the Mariners, Hayden Penn, a top prospect, who seems to always get hurt, but has the stuff to be a star, Micheal Costanzo, a third baseman we got from the Astros, and Micheal Garciaparra, a shortstop, hopefully Nomar’s brother. With these players, and the core pitchers and outfielders that the Orioles have, I believe that we will become a force in the A.L. East in at least 3 years.
Thank you very much for reading
About the Author
bballer2295 is a huge sports fan and can be found regularly discussing baseball news at sports talk website RootZoo.com
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